Powered scorer for bowling



June 30, 1970 H. A. M CLISTER POWERED SCORER FOR BOWLING Filed Aug. 23,1968 ZSO/T T260 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 23| {L m3 '3 24' BOWLING scom: 22| 43'Q 29| 243 233 223' m SCORED igslo FIRST BA LL SCORE Q :5]

' INVENTOR. Harry A. McClis'rer gafiW ATTORNEY.

June 30, 1970 MccLlsTER 3,517,878

POWERED SCORER FOR BOWLING Filed Aug. 23, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR.Harry A. Mcclisrer ATTORNEY.

United States Patent US. Cl. 235-114 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREPower means such as a wind up spring are employed to the unit dial of aMcClister-type instant scoring device for bowling according to the rulesof the American Bowling Congress. The individual playing the game canactuate any of a set of ten buttons, identified as 0 through 9, and thusinitiate movement of a reciprocatable member, the extent of linearmovement being controlled by the number selected. Upon reaching suchselected distance, the reciprocatable member is automatically returnedto its rest position and the key is returned to its rest position. Thereciprocatable member may be driven from a rest position to the selectedadvance by the wind up spring and then gears are automatically reversedso that the spring drives the reciprocatable member back to its restposition, the selected advance being controlled by the selected button.The unit dial is advanced by such controlled linear movement of thereciprocatable member.

CROSS REFERENCE TO PARENT APPLICATION This application is acontinuation-in-part of copending Ser. No. 557,293, filed June 13, 1966,now US. Pat. 3,406,902, all the details of which are deemed herereiterated.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The parent application discloses a bowlingscorer which is used by an individual player. After rolling one or moreballs, the bowler enters on his scorer the marginal increase in hisscore. After a pin knockdown of less than the player rotates a cylinderto select a number from 0 to 9, and then slidingly shifts a unit buttonto move a reciprocatable member which actuates a reciprocating rackwhich actuates the unit dial. If players are careful enough in rotatingthe dial to the correct number, instead of using the previously selectedposition of the cylinder, and if players are careful in shifting theunit button as far as permissable, such procedure is quite satisfactory.The excitement on the game of bowling is such that a mistake might bemade. Incomplete shifting of the unit button to less than the distancepermitted by the adjustment of the cylinder is among such possibleerrors.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, a scorerfor use in some sport such as bowling, said scorer having a unit dialactuated by a reciprocating rack is modified to provide an improvedreciprocatable member for actuating the reciprocating rack. Thereciprocatable member of the present invention is linearly shifted froma rest position to the correct position by the combination of a powerdevice and actuation of one of a set of ten push buttons. Automaticmeans provide for the return of the reciprocatable member to its restposition.

In certain embodiments of the invention, a wind up spn'ng provides thepower necessary for advancing and retarding the reciprocatable member. Areversible gear 3,517,878 Patented June 30, 1970 shift permits the windup spring to transmit its power to a screw to either advance thereciprocatable member from its rest position or to retard or return itto its rest position, with no opportunity for the wind up spring to racetoward a run down condition during either of the reversals of directionof the screw. In certain embodiments of the invention, the keys actuatethe gear shifting mechanism by a small arcuate movement alternatelyengaging forward and reverse gears into a driving gear.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of thepresent invention. FIG. 2 is a partially broken-away perspectiveschematic view of the reciprocatable member control system of FIG. 1;FIG. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a sectionalview taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of thegearshift portion of FIG. 2.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION The bowling scorer embodiment shown in the drawingscomprises a case 200 generally like the case of the bowling scorer ofthe parent application. Moreover, most of the mechanism of the scorercorresponds to the parent application. The score is displayed by thenumbers on the unit dial 221, tens dial 231, and hundreds dial 241. Eachdial may be readjusted to zero at the beginning of a game by manualcontrol of knobs 223, 233, and 243. The number of frames scored isdisplayed by the frame counter dial 291. The advancing and retarding ofthe brain or memory device also provides the instruction as to whetheror not the first ball of a frame should be scored, as displayed atwindow 305. If the player makes a strike, he actuates the strike button250, thus advancing the score by 10, 20, or 30 points, the value beingcontrolled by the status of the memory device. Similarly, actuation of aspare button 260 when the player has a spare (knockdown of 10 pins by 2balls in a frame) can advance the score by 10 or 20 depending upon theprevious position of the brain. Actuation of a unit button advances theunit dial by either one or two times the selected number, depending uponthe status of the memory device. The position of the brain is advancedor retarded in response to the succession of actuations of the unit,spare, and strike buttons. All such features are described in the parentapplication. This invention is concerned primarily with the utilizationof a power system for aiding the operation of the unit button.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a handle 510 can be employed for temporarilystoring potential mechanical energy in a wind up spring 509. After thehandle 510 has been used to wind up spring 509, the spring can providemechanical power during its unwinding. The spring 509 is strong enoughto energize the unit during an entire game or several games. During anyunwinding of spring 509, gear 511 (FIGS. 2 and 5) rotates, thus rotatingscrew 502 in a direction controlled by the position of a gear shiftingmechanism hereinafter described.

The present application is concerned with power means for controlledshifting of a reciprocable member which actuates the unit dial 221through rack and gear mechanisms. As explained in the parentapplication, unit dial 221 is advanced by the action of a rack upon agear, the rack having a reciprocatable member which is shifted acontrolled amount by the unit button.

A reciprocatable member 501 has internal threads engaged with the poweractuated screw 502, which is a shaft journaled in journals at the twoends of the case 200. The reciprocatable member is aligned parallel tocase 200 by a guide 531. A gear 506 rotates with the screw 502. Ashiftable support 507 can pivot about the axis of the screw withoutregard to the rotation or nonrotation of the screw 502, the journal 508(FIG. providing such pivoting action.

The gear 511 transmits the power from the wind up spring 509. A gear 512on a retarding arm 513 of the shiftable support 507 transmits power fromthe gear 511 of the wind up spring at the front end of the case to thegear 506 for rotating the screw to shift the reciprocatable member 501toward a rest position against the rear end of the case. Such restposition can be conveniently designated as toward a retarded position. Aspring 514 urges the shiftable support 507 in the direction tending tomaintain such engagement of the gear 512 with gear 511. When thereciprocatable member 501 is fully retarded, the system is at rest, andthere is no unwinding of the spring, rotation of gear 511, or othermovement until the advancing system is actuated.

An advancing arm 514' of the shiftable member 507 provides bearings forgears 515 and 516. The gear 515 is always engaged with screw gear 506,and gear 516 is always engaged with gear 515. When the gear 506 isdriven in the retarding direction, the gear 506 drives gears 515 and 516respectively, but such movement stops when the reciprocatable membercomes to its rest position.

' When the shiftable support 507 is pivoted arcuately a small amount,the teeth of 'gear 512 begin disengaging from gear 511 or the wind upspring while the teeth of gear 516 are engaging with gear 511. Suchreversal of the reciprocatable member from retarding direction toadvancing direction normally occurs only after the reciprocatable memberhas been in the rest position during the period subsequent to thescoring of the previous frame. During the shiftover from retarding toadvancing, the gear 511 is locked into a stationary situation in whichthe spring cannot race toward an unwound condition. As soon as theshiftable member 507 has been shifted to its advanced position, the gear512 is completely disengaged from gear 511, and the 'gear 516 iscompletely engaged with gear 511. Such arcuate movement of the shiftablesupport 507 is yieldingly resisted by a spring 514. Suitable guides, notshown, can maintain the shiftable support at the predetermined axialposition along the screw 502. A shift rod 519 is secured to theshiftable support 507 in such a manner that any significant movement ofthe shift rod away from the position'urged by spring 514 serves toarcuately move the shiftable member for engaging gear 516 into the powergear 511, thus disengaging retarding gear 512 from power gear 511,thereby reversing the direction or rotation of the screw 502, andthereby permitting the reciprocatable member 502 to start advancing fromits rest position.

A series of buttons identified as 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9control the actuation of the shift rod 519. Each button comprisespivoted arm 520 and extension arm 527 at right angles thereto, acomplete button system being designated at 528. The arm 520* of eachbutton is pivoted on a shaft 530 so that as extension arm 527 and buttonare depressed, the shift rod 519 is actuated, thus initiating theadvancing movement of the reciprocatable member 501. As the button isdepressed, a latch 521, best shown in FIG. 4, is actuated. When the arm520 is depressed, it is yieldingly urged by a spring 522 into a lockingposition against stop 523 of a post 532. Thus depression of a button600-609 temporarily latches advancing gear 516 into engagement fortemporarily advancing the reciprocatable member 501. As thereciprocatable member 501 advances toward the wind up spring, it hits anunlatching portion of bar 520 of the unit button system 528, and thusdisengages the latch 521. Thus the button is permitted to return to itsnormal position under the urging of spring 524. In returning to normalposition, the button permits spring 514 to return the shift rod 519 tonormal position, thus shifting gear 516 out of engagement and shiftinggear 512 into engagement with power gear 511, thereby reversing thedirection of rotation of screw 502 and thereby initiating the retardingdirection of travel of the reciprocatable member to its rest position.

The use of a power system for actuating a reversible gear system so thatan operator can depress one of an array of buttons and control thelinear movement of a reciprocatable member, and through a rack, controlthe advancing of a dial on a scorer for a sporting event hasapplicability for games so exciting that the likelihood of error issignificant. Most games can be scored simply enough that few playerschoose to utilize devices for keeping score. Bowling is the unique gamein which a significant portion of the players are unable to function asscorekeepers, and it is for this reason that the invention hasparticular applicability to bowling scorers.

The invention claimed is: 1. In a scorer for a game in which a playeractuates a plurality of buttons for increasing the score, and in which aunit button advances a unit dial by a controlled shifting of areciprocatable member, the improvement which consists of:

a plurality of buttons, each button corresponding to a number;

latching means for each button, whereby depression of a button maintainsit in a depressed condition until unlatching mechanism is actuated;

means actuated by the depression of a button for advancing thereciprocatable member, the extent of such advancing being controlled bythe button selected;

unlatching means actuated by the reciprocatable member for returning thebutton to its rest position after the button-controlled extent ofadvancing of the reciprocatable member;

reversing means for initiating the retarding of the reciprocatablemember upon the unlatching of the button, said retarding movementreturning the reciprocatable member to its normal rest position; andpower-actuated means energizing the movement of the reciprocatablemember in at least one direction.

2. The scorer of claim 1 having a threaded shaft, the reciprocatablemember engaged with the shaft for linear movement during rotation of theshaft, a wind up spring, and gear-reversing means intermediate the windup spring and the threaded shaft.

3. The scorer of claim 2 in which the gear reversing means consists of ashiftable member having an advancing arm, and a retarding arm, gearmeans on each arm, said shiftable member being pivoted for arcuatemovement about the axis of the shaft, yielding means urging the pivotedshiftable member in a direction engaging the gear means on one arm witha gear of the wind up spring, and a shift rod actuatable by a unitbutton to pivot the shiftable member for engagement of the gearReferences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1963 Voo 235--63 6/1968 Ruys235-62 STEPHEN J. TOMSKY, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 235-

